Still stressed after all these years: School researcher dismayed by lack of progress
Lynda Younghusband's work revealed exorbitant stress in education system
Lynda Younghusband sounded the alarm on teacher stress 12 years ago.
After stepping back from a system in shambles, she waited for a change that never came.
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She hoped teachers would be inspired to speak out and seek help, that the school board would stand up and take action, that government would provide guidance for both groups.
Thinking back on it now from the comforts of retirement, all three of those wishes came true — but nowhere close to the way Younghusband hoped.
"I was horrified."
'At the end of their rope'
Younghusband made waves in the winter of 2005 when she released her PhD dissertation on stress levels in the Newfoundland and Labrador education system.
I had a hard time holding back the tears when teachers broke down in front of me.- Linda Younghusband
After a survey revealed high levels of stress province wide, she spoke with 16 teachers at length. They laid bare their emotions and frustrations stemming from trouble at work.
Even with a career in counselling, Younghusband was not prepared for what took place during the interviews.
"I thought I had seen and heard everything as a counsellor. But honest to God, I had a hard time holding back the tears when teachers broke down in front of me," she said.
"At the end of their rope, they told me things that had happened to them."
They were being assaulted, bullied, pressured and overworked. They felt unprepared. They were tired and hurting — emotionally and physically.
Speak out and be silenced
On Nov. 28, 2005, Younghusband presented her findings to a conference of teachers and administrators in St. John's.
Following the talk, a pair of teachers from Holy Heart of Mary High School spoke with the media.
"Professional development days are an absolute joke and a waste of my time," one of the teachers said.
"Dress code policies, evaluation policies, school reform, school opening and closing. It all adds to the stress," said the other.
In early January 2006, Darin King — at the time the executive director of the Eastern School District, and a future cabinet minister — announced both teachers would be suspended one week without pay for their words.
One of those teachers was the current Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association president Jim Dinn, who raised concerns about school closures and amalgamations.
"I was certainly within my rights to say [what I said]," Dinn recalled. "But next thing I know, we were facing discipline for that."
'We're not in China,' says premier
The suspensions, which were set to take effect during midterm exams in late January, were appealed by the teachers' association. The school board backed down and the punishment was rescinded.
Even though he walked away unscathed, Dinn said the board's attempt to strongarm the teachers was a message.
"For a lot of teachers it sent a chill," he said. "If anything else, it made me more committed to raise the teacher voice."
The ordeal led to premier Danny Williams making a statement to teachers in February 2006 where he took their side.
"We're not in China," he said. "We're living in Canada. We're living in Newfoundland Labrador. People have the right to express their opinions and their feelings."
Williams called for a public forum where teachers could express their concerns, criticize the system and speak their minds.
Kevin Foley, president of the NLTA at the time, welcomed the opportunity but said the government and school board had to listen without lashing out.
"They have to offer that measure of protection [to teachers]," Foley said. "There's so much teachers have to offer from a professional point of view. It can't be ignored."
Williams's call for public forums would not come to fruition. CBC's Inside the Classroom feature is the closest thing teachers have had to the premier's vision, Dinn said.
Now with a better relationship between the teachers' association and the school board, there's less risk of repercussion for teachers speaking publicly, he added.
Disappointed in lack of change
It has been more than a decade since Younghusband's study made waves in the education system.
But those waves did not lead to change, she said, and instead added to the tsunami of stress that continues to bombard teachers in the province.
She hoped teachers would speak out — they did. She hoped the school board would act — they did.
Against her wishes, however, the board acted against the teachers.
Even though the suspensions were lifted, Younghusband said the message to educators was loud and clear.
"I couldn't expect teachers to talk out because their jobs were at the mercy of the administrators at the school level and the board."
Without an open and ongoing discussion involving everyone — government, school boards, teachers, students and parents — she believes nothing will change.
"This has just opened the door so people know, but unless you keep that door open and keep working on this, not much will happen," Younghusband said.
"In 12 years, nothing has really improved."
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